south
of New Orleans history a very large Category 4 hurricane moved from
the western tip of Cuba to Louisiana, and even though the center never
got any closer than 200 miles from the Panhandle, hurricane conditions
and a storm surge flooded Escambia Bay.

1915

Apalachicola
history this storm formed in the western Caribbean and moved across
the western tip of Cuba, then northward to Gulf County, 21 deaths

Synopsis
It constitutes the greatest natural disaster of the XX century in
Cuba. It mainly affected buildings on the province of Camagüey,
but coastal facilities on the south coast were completely devastated.
This hurricane produced a 6 m storm surge at Santa Cruz del Sur
and other locations on the south coast of Camagüey. On this
village alone it caused over 2500 death.

October
4, 1963 Hurricane Flora

Kills
6,000 in Cuba & Haiti

1969Hurricane Camille

Mississippihistory
The most intense hurricane to ever make landfall on the mainland
U.S., Camille formed in the NW corner of the Caribbean from an African
easterly wave and rapidly developed into a 200 MPH
hurricane as it crossed the western tip of Cuba and entered the
SE Gulf of Mexico. Prior to the advent of more sophisticated computer
models, like those the NHC uses today, hurricane forecasters had
difficulty forecasting the track of storms. For two days, as Camille
moved NW toward Gulfport, MS, forecasters in Miami continued to
predict the storm would begin to curve toward the Florida coast,
with landfall expected between Pensacola and Panama City, but the
storm never curved and the eye slammed into the coast near Bay St
Louis. The track did put NW Florida in the right front quadrant
of the circulation as it passed to our south, generating huge swells
and waves which caused extensive beach erosion from Destin westward.
However, this was insignificant when compared to the immense damage
and loss of life which occurred in Mississippi and the Delta region
of Louisiana, where the pressure dropped to 909 mb at landfall and
the storm surge exceeded 24 feet at Pass Christian, MS. Damage totalled
$1.4 billion (1969 dollars, approximately $6.1 billion in today's
dollars) with 256 deaths.

1979
Hurricane Frederic

just
west of Dauphin Island history Frederic was another storm which
was in the process of rapidly intensifying prior to landfall of
the eye along the Miss/Ala border SW of Mobile. It strengthened
from a Cat 1 to a Cat 4 in 30 hours. During its early history in
the Atlantic and Caribbean, its development was inhibited by outflow
from David, a major hurricane several hundered miles out ahead of
Frederic.As it followed in David's wake, where ocean waters had
been cooled, it did not get an opportunity to develop until David
moved up the east coast of Florida and Frederic continued westward,
emerging into the southeast Gulf of Mexico near the western tip
of Cuba. From there, the storm followed a path very similar to Camille,
except shifted about 75 miles farther to the east than the 1969
storm. It was about 70 miles south of Eglin AFB at its closest approach
and generated a very large and destructive storm surge along the
beaches of Perdido Key, just west of Pensacola. Hardest hit was
Dauphin Island, which received a 15 foot storm surge and 145 MPH
winds, wiping out virtually every beach condominium on the island
and washing out the eight mile causeway connecting it to the mainland.
From Gulf Shores and Bayou La Batre ,AL to Ocean Springs, MS, all
waterfront property was either destroyed or severely damaged, especially
in Pascagoula, MS, where the eye passed overhead and hundreds of
millions of dollars damage was done to the huge Ingalls Shipyard
complex where U.S. Navy ships are constructed. The total damage
approached $3 billion (1979 dollars) , making Frederic the 5th most
destructive storm in U.S. history.

October
18 1996, Hurricane Lili

(CNN)
-- Havana was spared a direct hit on Friday as Hurricane Lili
blew into Cuba after killing at least eight people in Central
America. The storm's path was expected to take it across Cuba's
mainland, through the Florida Straits separating Cuba and Florida
and toward the Bahamas.

Scores of deteriorated buildings in downtown Havana collapsed
in heavy winds and rains preceding the storm. Hours later, Lili
set a more easterly course without causing additional damage
in the capital as had been feared. There were no reports of
injuries or deaths, the official Prensa Latina news agency said
Friday morning.

President
Fidel Castro visited the the town of Surgidero de Batabano
on Cuba's southern coast Friday and urged residents to comply
with emergency plans meant to minimize damage. Appearing on
state television late Thursday, a worried- looking Castro
warned Cubans to prepare for an onslaught that he said could
prove "catastrophic." He welcomed scores of evacuees
from the Havana neighborhood of La Timba into the National
Palace, where they were to wait out the storm.

Some
Cubans won't evacuate
Civil defense workers went door-to-door in the rain in some
of the capital's more deteriorated neighborhoods, persuading
residents to seek shelter in sturdier buildings. By nightfall
Thursday, at least 28,000 residents had been evacuated from
low-lying coastal areas. Thousands of others refused to leave
their homes for fear of looting. Cuban authorities said that
80,000 people would have to be evacuated from dangerous dwellings
in Havana alone. In Havana's hospitals, all but the sickest
patients were asked to go home so there would be empty beds
in the event of heavy casualties. Schools sent home 100,000
students. Impact on Central America
In Central America, Lili left thousands homeless and stranded
more as rain-gorged rivers made bridges and roads impassable
in Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua. Costa Rican authorities
said a child and two adults were reported dead Wednesday,
in addition to five drownings reported in the region on Tuesday.

1998Hurricane Georges

Ocean
Springs, MS history storm report from NHC Georges formed in the
tropical Atlantic from a vigorous African wave and quickly deepened
to near-Category Five status as dropsondes released into the eyewall
by reconnaissance aircraft measured winds near the surface as high
as 147 knots, and up to 152 knots at 10,000 feet (with an eye SLP
of 937mb) east of the Lesser Antilles. Georges weakened prior to
moving across these islands and striking Puerto Rico, Hispaniola,
and Cuba. However, very heavy rainfall resulted in flash flooding
that killed over 600 people and washed many villages away (damage
in the Caribbean exceeded 3 billion dollars).

The
storm fluctuated in intensity over this two-day journey across
the islands, as it weakened moving across mountainous terrain,
only to re-intensify each time it emerged back over the warm
ocean waters. It moved into the Gulf of Mexico near Key West
and curved northward reaching the Mississippi coast as a Category
Two storm.

While
sustained winds never reached hurricane force in NW Florida (the
strongest wind clocked at Eglin AFB was an isolated gust to 79 knots
in a feeder band), there were several reports of tornadoes being
spawned by Georges in and around the Eglin reservation. It was also
responsible for the heaviest rainfall event on record at the base
with a total of 19.16 inches falling over a 72 hour period including
9.60 inches on the 28th of September, the most ever measured at
Eglin on a single day.

Flooding
was limited in Okaloosa County, but extensive in other locations
in the Panhandle with $340 million in damage to Florida, and over
$3 billion total for the Gulf states. The worst damage occurred
in coastal Mississippi where much of Jackson County was cut off
by high water and was without electricity and telephone service
for several days. In Cuba, two deaths were blamed on Georges. Cuban
President Fidel Castro went on TV for the second day in a row to
give advice. "We can't be too trusting, because hurricanes
play tricks," he said. Reports from Cuba's eastern provinces
described widespread flooding, crop destruction, and damage to roads
and buildings. State media said more than 2,000 houses in Holguin
and Guantanamo were below water, and officials in Guantanamo said
coffee and banana crops had been ruined.

October
14, 1999: Hurricane
Irene threatens Cuba

MIAMI
(Reuters) -- The ninth tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane
season became a hurricane early Thursday, threatening Havana and
western Cuba and on a track for Florida. Tropical storm watches
were issued for lower and middle Florida. At 5 a.m. EDT, the National
Hurricane Center reported that Hurricane Irene was about 125 miles
south-southwest of Havana, near latitude 21.6 north and longitude
83.7 west. It was moving north at about 7 mph, a track it was expected
to continue through Thursday. Maximum sustained winds were at minimum
hurricane strength of about 75 mph, with hurricane force winds extending
15 miles (24 kms) and tropical storm winds extending 115 miles.
Rains of from 6 to 12 inches were forecast for the path of the storm.

On
Wednesday, Cuba's government issued a hurricane warning for
the western provinces of Pinar Del Rio, Havana, Ciudad Havana
and the Isle of Youth. A hurricane watch was issued for the
lower and middle Florida Keys west of Craig Key, including the
Dry Tortugas.

The
Keys are a 110-mile-long chain of low-lying islands off the southern
tip of the state. Squalls and gusty winds were spreading northward
over the Caymans, a three-island British colony south of Cuba, and
parts of Cuba and the Florida Straits separating Cuba from the Florida
Keys, forecasters said.

November
5, 2001, Hurricane Michelle batters Cuba

Hurricane
Michelle is losing strength as it tears through Cuba, but its winds
and rains have caused mass evacuations, floods, and huge tidal surges.
Gusts of wind up to 120 kilometres per hour (75mph) were recorded
in the capital Havana, as the island faced its most powerful hurricane
for more than 50 years. The Cuban authorities have evacuated at
least 700,000 people from low-lying areas. But the force of the
hurricane has been downgraded from four to three - on a scale from
one to five - as it slowed over Cuba's central mountains. Tourists
have been taken from resorts to hotels in the capital, and student
camps on the southern Zapata peninsula have been evacuated. All
national and international flights have been cancelled and public
transport suspended.

Electricity
in the capital has been cut off to avoid accidents with falling
power cables. "The whole of Havana is in total darkness,
everyone is using candles," one resident said. Reports
say that large areas of agricultural land, especially in the
west and centre of the country, have been devastated and homes
have been damaged.

There
is also severe flooding, mostly in coastal areas. The state
television, running on emergency generators, spoke of medical
workers wading knee-deep through sea water in Havana's main
hospital.

Successful
preparation But there are few reports of casualties.
The BBC correspondent in Havana, Daniel Schweimler, says this
is probably thanks to the huge civil defence operation launched
by the Cuban authorities over the past few days. "Don't
worry, we'll survive the hurricane. We're well prepared,"
Cuban President Fidel Castro told his public. "Fortunately
[the hurricane] crossed rapidly."

As
Hurricane Michelle clears Cuba on Monday, it could hit the southern
tip of Florida, before heading out towards the Bahamas. In Florida,
Governor Jeb Bush has declared a state of emergency, and residents
in the Florida Keys and South Florida have been advised to evacuate
their homes. Homes and businesses are already being boarded up in
southern Florida, and people are being told to stock up on food.

Wreaking
havoc Earlier, Hurricane Michelle led to the deaths of
at least 12 people in Central America, as heavy rains flooded rivers
and caused mudslides. Thousands of residents of the Atlantic coasts
of Honduras and Nicaragua have been left homeless. Ten people were
confirmed dead in Honduras, where some coastal areas received half
their usual annual rainfall in five days last week. Atlantic coast
residents were reportedly trapped for days on rooftops or patches
of high ground, and some were said to be surviving on the carcasses
of drowned farm animals. In Nicaragua, officials say some 10,000
people have been made homeless by the hurricane. The two countries
are still struggling to recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane
Mitch in 1998, when some 20,000 people were killed in the region,
and more than six billion dollars' worth of damage was caused.

2002,
Hurricane Isidore

Downpour
in Cuba

On
Friday, Isidore battered western Cuba, with winds of up to
160 km/h (100mph) and heavy rains. The storm uprooted trees
and blew off some rooftops in Mantua, about 140km (85 miles)
west of Havana, before moving towards the Gulf of Mexico.

About
250,000 people and thousands of farm animals were evacuated in Cuba's
Pinar del Rio province, and the island's civil defence programme
was activated. No fatalities have been reported.

Cuban
President Fidel Castro travelled to the worst hit area to personally
supervise evacuation and emergency measures. He heaved a sigh of
relief after the storm veered from its initial trajectory, when
it threatened to batter more populous areas of Cuba. The storm dumped
about 63cm (25in) of rain in 24 hours, damaging tobacco stocks,
the source of the best leaves for Cuba's famed cigars. As the storm
pulled away, President Castro said it would not hinder Cuba's efforts
to recover from the damage caused by last year's Hurricane Michelle,
which destroyed thousand of homes. Michelle - a category four storm
which battered Cuba last November - killed five people and cause
$1.8bn damage.

US
aid. The food crisis caused by that hurricane led to the
first US-authorised commercial shipments of food to the communist
island since the US imposed a trade embargo in 1962. In 1998, Hurricane
Georges also left six people dead in Cuba and hundreds killed across
the Caribbean. The constant damage wrought by hurricanes has led
to the formation in Cuba of local neighbourhood watch groups which
co-operate with civil defence officials. The Atlantic hurricane
season typically lasts from June to November. The storms which form
later in the season tend to be more slow-moving, giving them more
time to gather force, heavy rains and potentially deadly floods.

2004
- Charley

August
13, 2004 10:00 AM

Hurricane Charley pounds Havana

By Anthony Boadle

HAVANA
(Reuters) - Hurricane Charley has pummelled western Cuba
and darkened Havana with howling winds that uprooted coconut
trees and ripped roofs off houses on its furious path to the
Florida coast.

Charley
packed winds of 105 mph (165 kph) and a 10-14 foot (3-4 metre) storm
surge when it hit Cuba's southern coast at midnight near
the fishing village of Guanimar. The
storm uprooted coconut trees and ripped off roofs of houses, people
in nearby Batabano said.

The
hurricane crossed Cuba at its narrowest point, losing some intensity
as it headed for the north coast at Baracoa, just west of Havana.
The capital city and its province endured the onslaught in total
darkness, as authorities cut off power to avoid electrical accidents.
"It's a disaster. The gusts smashed windows and doors, and
lifted off the roof of a shelter," said a local official in
San Antonio de los Banos, a town in the storm's path 22 miles (34
km) south of Havana.

Weather
experts said Charley would regain strength and become a "major"
hurricane as it headed out over the Florida Straits on a path toward
the fragile Florida Keys island chain and the densely populated
St. Petersburg-Tampa area. Emergency officials on Thursday ordered
more than 600,000 people in western Florida to leave seaside dwellings,
mobile homes and low-lying areas before Charley's arrival.

Racing
winds and heavy rainfall scattered debris in the empty streets of
Havana, a city of 2 million, were residents left work at midday
to form long lines to buy food and water and rush home to secure
their houses.

Cuban
President Fidel Castro, who turned 78 on Friday, showed up after
midnight at Cuba's weather centre and discussed Charley's advance
for an hour on a live television broadcast. He was pleased the full
force of the storm did not hit Havana directly. "This
was like a birthday present from Nature, a special present, because
a hurricane can cause most damage in a capital city, to housing
industry and electricity lines," said Castro, dressed in his
trademark green uniform.

EYE
ON THE STORM

Authorities
on Thursday evacuated 149,000 people from flood-prone areas of western
Cuba and precarious colonial-era buildings in danger of collapse
in downtown Havana. About 1,300 tourists were flown out of Key Largo
off the south coast. Havana's airport was closed and flights diverted
to the seaside resort of Varadero. At 2 a.m. EDT (7 a.m. British
time), Charley was 14 miles (22 km) west of downtown Havana, at
latitude 23.0 north and longitude 82.6 west, the U.S. National Hurricane
Centre in Miami said. It was moving north-northwest at 14 mph (22
kph).

The
eye of Charley was expected to cross the southeastern Gulf of Mexico
toward the west coast of Florida later on Friday, strengthening
into a major hurricane as it approached, the centre said. Hurricane
warnings stretched up the west coast of Florida and a storm watch
was declared for the southeast coast up to South Carolina. Florida
Gov. Jeb Bush said 2 million people could be affected if Charley
pounds the tourist resort island of Key West and then curves into
Florida's west coast. In total, 6.5 million Americans lay in the
storm's potential path, the U.S. Census Bureau said.

2004
- Ivan

Hurricane
Ivan brushes Cuba's tip

BBC-
Tuesday, 14 September, 2004, 06:29 GMT 07:29 UK - One
of the fiercest storms on record is moving towards the Gulf
of Mexico after lashing the western tip of Cuba.

Hurricane
Ivan battered the island with winds gusting at 300km/h (186mph),
after leaving a trail of destruction across the Caribbean.

The
hurricane had been expected to hit Cuba head on, but the centre
drifted west into a sparsely populated area. It now seems to be
heading towards the southern United States, but a hurricane warning
remains in force in Mexico. The hurricane touched the tip of Cuba
at 1845 (2245GMT), according to the head of the country's National
Meteorology Institute.

Snub

The
BBC's Stephen Gibbs in Havana says there is a sense of relief as
the country sees the back of Ivan. The island certainly is not unscathed.
The damage resulting from nearly 24 hours of very high winds and
torrential rain has yet to be assessed - but everyone knows that
it could have been much worse, our correspondent says. About 1.3
million Cubans were evacuated and thousands across the country sat
out the storm in government shelters.

President
Fidel Castro - who visited the region - made repeated TV appearances
ahead of Ivan's arrival and urged people to follow instructions
from state officials. Mr Castro also said he would not accept "a
penny" in hurricane aid from the United States. "The hurricane
before this they offered $50,000, an insignificant amount,"
he said referring to aid Washington proposed following Hurricane
Charley last month.

Hurricane
Dennis: July 2005

Hurricane
Dennis kills 10 in Cuba

Saturday July 9 2005

More
than half-a-million people across Cuba have fled their
homes.
A hurricane has killed at least 10 people in Cuba and
driven hundreds of thousands from their homes.

Hurricane
Dennis made landfall in the south-east of the country on Friday,
bringing torrential rains and winds of up to 240km/h (150mph).

The
storm is expected to pass east of the capital, Havana, travelling
into the Gulf of Mexico before hitting southern Florida at
the weekend. Earlier it killed at least 10 in Haiti and caused
heavy flooding in Jamaica.

Hurricane
Dennis has "arrived, with all its diabolical force",
Cuban President Fidel Castro said. He added that eight people
had died in Granma province and two in Santiago.
The storm also damaged buildings and knocked out power. About
600,000 people have fled their homes. Cuban Meteorological
Institute chief Jose Rubiera said the storm made landfall
at 1300 (1700 GMT) near the central province of Cienfuegos.
At the US navy base at Guantanamo Bay, on the southern tip
of Cuba, a guard tower was torn down by the fierce winds.

The
storm later weakened from a category four hurricane to a category
two, but it is expected to gain strength again once it reaches
the Gulf of Mexico. At 2300 (0300 GMT), the storm was 30km
(20 miles) east of Havana and about 180km (110 miles) south
of Key West in Florida. The hurricane is expected to dump
up to 38cm of rain on eastern Cuba, according to the US National
Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami.

The
hurricane is the strongest to form in the Atlantic this early
in the season since records began in 1851, the centre said.

SINCE
dawn on Wednesday, October 26, engineers’ units
of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), supported by
brigades from several construction contingents, have been
collecting debris and cleaning up Havana’s seafront
highway and boardwalk, the Malecón.

Repair
work was concentrated on 13 points between Manrique Street,
in the Central Havana neighborhood, and Calzada in El Vedado.
It also includes reestablishing a bridge that was affected
in the same area.

Most
of the damage is along northbound section of the Malecón,
where the sea water lifted up asphalt and pieces of sidewalk
and knocked down part of the wall.

The
troops arrived at dawn to begin their mission. Second Lieutenant
Eliécer Barbán Garcés, of a FAR engineers’
unit, began demolition and debris cleanup duties along with
his soldiers at 8:00 a.m. in front of the Ameijeiras Hospital.
"When we got here, we reviewed the area to organize our
work and then began," he said.

The
FAR engineers’ units, along with brigades from the Blas
Roca, Raúl Roa and Compaña de Las Villas contingents,
and forces from Construction Enterprise No. 5 of the Ministry
of Construction, were planning to work 24 hours around the
clock until the Malecón can be opened to traffic again.

Photograph
your house and all the rooms inside for insurance
purposes.

Make
sure your roofing is properly fastened and secure.
make all necessary repairs.

Obtain
lumber, plywood, and concrete nails for battening
up.

Know
your evacuation route.

Organize
a place to meet with your family should you become
separated during the storm.

Clear
your yard and drains of debris.

Prune
trees limbs that are close to your house. They can
cause damage to your home or utility wires during
a storm.

Find
a place to move your boat in an emergency

If
your home is at risk, plan in advanced where you will
stay. Call the ODPEM Disaster Co-ordinator for the
location of the nearest shelter.

If
you need transportation to a public shelter due to
special needs -- such as age, physical disability,
or mental disorders; register in advance with the
nearest Parish Council Office and the Office of Disaster
Preparedness.

Turn
refrigerator and freezer to the coldest level. Freeze
water in plastic containers.

Sanitize
bath tubs and fill with water.

Tie
down or bring in all outdoor objects (such as awnings,
patio furniture, garbage cans).

Secure
or remove satellite dishes, TV or radio antennae from
roofs.

Pick
fruits such as coconuts, mangoes etc., from trees.
Clear your yard and drains of debris.

Remove
all pictures, clocks, books, figurines, tools, office
equipment, appliances and important papers (passports,
birth certificates etc.); wrap them in plastic or
in waterproof containers; and store in a safe room.

Turn
off electricity at the main switch and remove TV and
radio antennae from roofs.

Stock
up on water and non-perishable foods. Refill prescriptions
needed.

Fill
your car with gas to avoid long lines after the hurricane.
Also fill containers for portable generators.

Park
your car in a place that is safest from falling trees
and utility poles.

If
you are in a high-rise, know the location of the nearest
stairways. Don't use the elevator.

Batten
down windows and doors with shutters or lumber. Wedge
sliding glass doors with a bar.

Turn off electricity from main switch 24 hours before
the storm is expected to hit.

Unplug
major appliances.

During
the hurricane

After
the storm

Be
calm! Your ability to act logically is very important.

Stay
inside. Do not go outside unless it is absolutely
necessary

Stay
away from windows and doors even if they are covered.
A windowless or interior room or hallway is usually
the safest.

Listen
to the radio for information

If
you are in a two-storey house, stay on the first floor.

If
you are in a multiple-storey building, take refuge
on the first or second floors. Interior stairwells
and areas around elevator shafts are usually the strongest
part of a building.

If
your house shows signs of breaking up, stay under
a table or stand under a door frame.

Do
not go outside during the calm when the eye of the
hurricane is passing.

Wait
until you hear on the radio or television that the
dangerous winds are definitely out of your area.

Do
not go sight-seeing

Do
not go outside barefooted. Avoid wearing open shoes
and watch out for sharp debris

Do
not use phones or CB radios unless vital. Keep lines
clear for emergency calls.

Bury
all dead animals as soon as possible.

Beware
of downed power lines, weakened bridges and washed-out
roads, and weakened trees.

Purify
drinking water by boiling or by adding bleach, 2 drops
of bleach per litre of water, 4 drops if the water
is cloudy. Do not purify all your water at once.

After
adding bleach, let water stand for 30 minutes before
drinking

Use
perishable food first , then non- perishable foods
and staples after.

Do
not cook more than is needed for one meal

Be
alert to prevent fires

Report
broken sewer or water mains to local authorities

Be
sure to check your house for structural damage before
moving back in.

Store
enough water to last 2 weeks for each person in your
household. A normal active person requires a minimum
of 1 litre of water per day for drinking and food
preparation.

Water
should be stored in clean, well covered containers.

Label
the containers with the current date and renew your
drinking supply each month.

Store
emergency food in waterproof containers.

Arrange
items so that those stored first will be used first.

Observe
expiration dates on packaged foods.

Wrap
bread, cookies and crackers, dry good in plastic bags
and keep in tight containers.

Your
storage area should be dry, cool and free from contamination
by insects, poisons and other chemicals.

Several
utility poles were uprooted and their wires and equipment
left dangling on the roads after Hurricane Gilbert.

A
shelter provides temporary housing for persons unable
to continue their living arrangements in separate family
units, as a result of an emergency incident such as
flood, earthquake or hurricane.
It is advised to evacuate your home if:

in
an area that continually floods, near the coastline
or a stream likely to overflow, in a low-lying area,

you
feel that your home will not offer adequate protection

advised
by authorities

Take
your own supplies to the shelter including food, change
of clothes, medicine, sanitary need, battery-operated
radio and flashlight important papers.